The Scientific Method
12 members of the League of Zodiacs are sitting around a table. Gemini is at the head of the table with Aries and Taurus at the sides of the table right next to him. Gemini: I've called you here today for a reason... Cancer, a former member of this league... is a traitor. He has aligned himself not only against the League, but with the Earth. Yet we cannot kill him if we want our plans to succeed anytime soon. If he dies, he will be reborn as a child not capable of performing the ritual to spin the Zodiac Wheel. We must bring him back, and we must bring him back alive... Virgo: Why did he leave? Gemini: He left because of love... His affection for the princess of Hortren Prime was too strong... chuckling: I always knew Cancer had a soft spot for that girl... Capricorn: How do propose we get him back? Aries: Originally, we were just going to kill, but we realized that wouldn't work since he would be reborn and we would have to wait... But then we came up with a better plan... Taurus: If his love for the princess of Hortren Prime is really that strong, then he will do anything to save her... Ophiuchus: So we're going to kidnap her? Gemini: Yes... Aquarius: Right away? Gemini: Once all my injuries are healed... Alright, until then, you may be off on your separate ways... And when the time comes, I will get my revenge on Cancer... camera cuts to the Plumber base in Greenwood. Cancer and Runa are holding hands and walking down the hallway towards the room Din, Hellon, Farrin, and the Knights are. Cancer: I will get my revenge on Gemini... Runa: I love it when you're angry... Cancer: I love you all the time... enter the room with all the others. Din sees them walk in and rolls him eyes. Hellon: Have a problem with them? Din: Sort of... I just don't see what she sees in him... Hellon: I'm not going to say anything, but I guess we'll see how it goes... Din: And notice that she hasn't really talked to us for the past three days... Hellon: Honestly, I could care less... Din: As you said, we'll just have to see how it goes... Farrin: Quiet, everyone, Forsenin is about to speak... turns on a screen that shows the front of the URP building. There is a podium in front of it and thousands of people standing in front of it about 20 feet away, where there is a border of fences put up by the police. Forsenin and two bodyguard walk out, followed by three other unknown personal of the URP. They are all humans. Forsenin: Ladies, gentlemen, and children of all races, welcome to Greenwood, California, of the United States of America of Planet Earth. We welcome everyone with open arms and the highest of respect. Voice: Yes, and we accept your welcoming with the highest appreciation... looks up at the top of a building across from the URP building. The camera carrying the feed rotates and pans up to the top of the building, showing an unknown alien wearing red robes. He has four arms and is holding a rocket launcher. Figure: My name is Nutox and this is my army... snaps his finger, and an army of hundreds of ships appears behind him. Nutox: Now prepare to die... fires a rocket in the direction of Forsenin. Song rocket zooms towards Forsenin. His bodyguards grabs him and take him to the side. The other three other unknown personal dive to. The rocket hits the building and explodes. Nutox jumps off the building and lands on the ground about 30 feet away from Forsenin. He takes out a pistol and begins to fire shots at him. They hit an mana shield created by a random Anodite living in the city. Nutox turns around and blasts the Anodite to the ground, but when he turns around, Forsenin, his guards, and the other personal are running away from him. Back at the base, the heroes are watching in horror. Paper: Hellon, can you take us up? Hellon: Yes, grab on... joins hands with the four Knights. He brings them right to the front of the URP building. Paper: Thanks... Let's move... Knights begin to chase Nutox who is chasing Forsenin and the others. Sci: We haven't fought him before, have we? Shay: I would have remembered him. I always remember people I fight... Toon: Kinda hard not to... That's like saying you remember your own name... Sci: Does it matter? He's trying to kill Forsenin and we can't let that happen... takes out his bow and fires an exploding arrow at Nutox. It hits him in the back and slows him down. He turns around and the Knights immediately stop, too. They are still about 30 feet apart. Nutox: Are you supposed to be the heroes of this world? Paper: Yeah... Nutox: Pathetic... I can see your history right in your eyes... You've been through a lot... Toon: Spare us the details, Nutox. Nutox: I don't have time for this... You let Mr. Forsenin get away... Shay: That's the idea... Nutox: I don't like to kill people on sight... I like to give them a fighting chance... But the next time we meet... You're dead... disappears into the ground. Sci: Did he just? Toon: Yes, he tunneled into the ground... camera cuts back to the base. All the same people are there except for the Knights. Farrin: He's obviously Nuronian, just look at the skin color, the physique, and the technology. It's got Nuronian written all over it. Din: Somehow I have a feeling this is connected to the Vutcho's plot, but it's not like Nuronians have an artifact that is part of the prophecy... Cancer: And if they did would they just show up and let the Vutcho attempt to take it from them...? Something's not right here... continues to replay and rewind the tape over and over again. Hellon: Wait, rewind it again... rewinds the tape and then plays it again. Hellon: Stop it! stops the tape. Hellon: Right there, in the upper left corner, where the first ship appears. See how it's brown and rusty at first, on the side that's just newly appeared, but then it's red on the side that's been here longer. Farrin: I do notice that... When the ships appeared, they appeared first from the left and then quickly in a wave to the right... But that doesn't explain the two colors thing? Din: I can guess what Hellon's thinking... Hellon: What do you bet those ships didn't just travel through space, they traveled through time, and they're rusty because of the effects of time travel, but then they quickly wear off... 'Cancer: It's a good theory, but why would they still be rusty if they've been there for at least a few minutes? How else would Nutox have gotten down there? It would be an awfully big coincidence for the rusting to wear off at the exact time that the ships uncloak. Din: That's also a valid point, but the fact is that Nuronians can teleport. He obviously just teleported a minute or two in advance of his fleet. Farrin: Which meanwhile is still floating above the city... Runa: Are we going to do anything about it? Din: The Nuronians are warlike if memory serves... Diplomacy won't cut it... Hellon: Then what will? door to the room opens up and the Knights walk in. Hellon: How'd it go? Paper: We saved Forsenin, but Nutox got away... Farrin: We've been trying to figure out what he wants... Sci: The Ambassador was outside the URP building... Cancer: Maybe we should meet the Ambassador? Runa: Sounds like a good next step... Din: Okay, but all of us are going down... Ready? Shay: Yep... link hands and appear in the lobby of the URP building. They walk towards the entrance and exit through it, appearing right in front of the Nuronian Ambassador and a group of news reporters. The Ambassador turns around to face the heroes. Din: Wait, you're the Ambassador!? camera shows the Ambassador's face, revealing him to be Ophiuchus of the Zodiacs. Commercial Ophiuchus: Why yes, does that bother you? Din: This proves the Nuronians are up to no good, you're not only their Ambassador, your a Zodiac! Cancer: I recognize him... Ophiuchus? Ophiuchus: Hello, Cancer. Enjoying your time on Earth... Cancer: Yes, and I see you're enjoying yours, too... Ophiuchus: And how do you know that? Cancer: You're invading the planet who knows why... Would you do that if you didn't want to? Ophiuchus: Well I hope you're having more fun with that Hortresian then you are with the Zodiacs... Cancer: That's it! quickly draws a sword and slashes it at Ophiuchus. He jumps back and then blasts an energy wave at Cancer. He avoids and then jumps forward and begins to slash rapidly at Ophiuchus. The go back and forth as the reporters avoid the fight to get it all on camera. As they continue, the camera cuts to the others watching. Sci: What should we do? Hellon: Cancer can keep Ophiuchus occupied, we're going to need the time to find where Nutox and Forsenin ended up... Paper: My team's got Nutox, your team's got Forsenin... Din: Okay, but how are we going to track either of them? Runa: You should be able to track Forsenin by his URP badge. Nutox will likely be in an area with a high concentration of Nuronian DNA, so that's likely where he is... Hellon: Oh, so you're not going to stay with Cancer... Runa: I believe in him. He can handle his own... Hellon: Before you go, shouldn't you give them the tablet? Din: Right... takes out the Golden Tablet of Ko'et. Din: This can track life forms based on their genetic coding. Just do a search for Nuronians and head for the highest concentration. Paper: Thanks... Knights run off and the Hortresians stay where they are. Din takes out a device and scans the area for URP badges. There are 4 badges moving in the same director about a half mile from where they are. Din: Let's move... join and disappear. The camera cuts to a car driving into a parking lot. Forsenin, the two guards, and the other three personal get out of the car as the Hortresians arrive on the scene. Hellon: Thank goodness you're alive... Forsenin: Whatever you've found out, start explaining, NOW! Din: The Nuronians don't do diplomacy, but we think it's just a common invasion... We just get a bunch of soldiers and then quickly fight them off... Forsenin: As I was going to say in my speech, we barely have any soldiers left... Most of them quit after the Vutcho incident. Runa: Then what about the DNA shield... Do we know if that's close to being done, let alone possible? Hellon: Farrin told me that it would take months to figure out how to build it, plus possibly years more to build it... A DNA shield is out of the question... Din: Then we're going to need a team... Forsenin: We'll see what we can do... Where are your Knights? Din: They're on a special mission... camera cuts to the Knights walking down the street. Paper is trying to figure out how to use the tablet. Paper: Uh... Toon: I think you just press the button... presses a barely visible button on the tablet, which makes it spring to life. Toon: Now just somehow get it to search for Nuronians... Tablet: Searching for Nuronians... Shay: Man, I wish I had one of those "That was easy" buttons... a few moments, a map of the area appears on a projection out of the tablet. There is an extremely high concentration in a desert just to the west of the city. Sci: Wait, isn't that Ralotrius? Shay: What's that? Paper: Ralotrius was a city in in the state of Arizona. About 150 years ago, there was a nuclear accident at a power plant. Luckily, the government was able to prevent it from spreading, but they said it wasn't safe to be in for long periods of time for almost 150 years... It should be somewhat safe to go know... But I wouldn't live there... Toon: Is it possible the Nuronians knew about the nuclear site and are using it for something... Paper: They must have a plan, a reason, a method to their madness, but the question is what? Sci: Guess we're going to Ralotrius... sarcastically: Sounds fun... camera cuts to the Knights arriving to the top of a hill overlooking Ralotrius. It is mostly a desert with some ruined buildings and structures. Toon: So this is Ralotrius? Shay: There's not even anything here... Paper: I'd bet a lot of money that's it cloaked... Tablet: Uncloaking... projects a light in front of the recruits and after a moment, a cloaking field surrounding the city disappears. A large temple can now be seen. Hundreds of Nuronians are in what appears to be an excavation site around the temple. The temple is also not finished on the top, with what appears to be a staircase coming from inside it. Paper: This... doesn't look good... Commercial Shay: You see, the funny thing is that I'm out of money... Sci: Shay, not the time... Shay: Sorry... Toon: So what should we do? We can't just go barging in there... Paper: Well who knows what the tablet could do... Sci: Wait, look at the top of the structure... Shay: Well, yeah, it doesn't look finished... Sci: No, the staircase, someone's walking up it... Paper: Nutox? camera zooms in on the temple and shows Nutox walking up to the top of the staircase. There is a large gap leading down into the temple below him. He mutters something, but the Knights obviously can't hear him. Paper: What did he say? Tablet: He said "Progress is going nicely, but it will still be another week or to until the altar is finished." Toon: Altar? Shay: Well it is a temple... Paper: Not exactly what you think of when you think of a temple... Sci: Okay, so did we decide on our next move? Toon: Nutox is there, and we know the Nuronian plan involves something to do with this temple... camera cuts back to the zoomed in view of Nutox. The camera pans over to an excavation site. Several Nuronians are operating a machine. What they are using it for cannot be seen, a there is a reddish glow coming from whatever it is. Shay: I know that glow... Paper: Yeah, it's an awfully big coincidence don't you think... Toon: Vermiculium, right? Sci: Okay... Cloaked temple, unfinished altar, Vermiculium... we have to go down there and do something... Paper: But what happens if we get caught? We can't exactly go running all the way back to Greenwood? Sci: So how about we don't get caught... jumps down the hill and then lands. He begins to run towards the city. Paper: We're getting out at the first sign of trouble... jumps down the hill and is followed by Shay and Toon. The camera cuts to Sci standing behind a barrier. The other three Knights slow down as they get next to him. Sci: Glad you decided to show up... looks around the barrier. The Nuronians are taking carts of the Vermiculium into the temple. Sci: Paper, whatever happened to that Vermiculium sword... Paper: I ran out of Vermiculium and none of Rose's friends, nor Rose have been able to find any. Sci: Just wondering, because, and not to state the obvious, there's a bunch of Vermiculium over there... Paper: Yeah, a bunch, but it's under constant watch... looks at the Nuronians around the Vermiculium and then back to where Sci was, but he isn't there. Shay: Guess Sci isn't under your constant watch... camera cuts to Sci running a long the top of a barrier around the excavation site. It is relatively dark outside, so he is hidden, but he has to stop everyone and a while to check where he is relative to the Vermiculium site. He stops right across from the center of the temple. The Vermiculium site it about 20 feet in front of him. No Nuronians are looking directly at, but there are about thirty near it. Sci: There's no way I could... exits the temple and then shouts something in another language. All the Nuronians head into the temple, leaving the site empty. Sci: Or maybe I could... slides down the inside of the barrier and runs over to the Vermiculium site. He picks up a large chunk of Vermiculium and then places it in a sack. He looks up and finds Nutox standing in front of him. Nutox: And what do you think you're doing? screams and jumps back. He quickly draws his sword and begins to slash at Nutox. Nutox: Remember what I said. Next time, death... begins to fire energy waves at Sci. Sci slashes them back with his sword, but Nutox jumps back and forth to avoid them. Sci runs and then jumps and slashes down with his sword, but Nutox slides into the ground and comes back out behind Sci. He kicks him down to the ground. The other knights suddenly jump into action. Paper fires an exploding arrow at Nutox, knocking him back. Toon throws slash after slash at Nutox, but he back up and avoids every single one. Shay charges from the opposite direction and it able to hit Nutox to the ground. He helps up Toon as Paper helps up Sci. Paper: Now let's run... Knights begin to run away from the temple and the excavation site. Nutox slowly gets up and then turns to the temple. Nutox: Next time, I won't under estimate them... Next time, they will pay... camera cuts to the Plumber base in Greenwood that night. Everything is back to as it was: Farrin is working at the computer, the Knights are just hanging out, Hellon and Din are talking quietly, and Runa and Cancer are sitting next to each other holding hands. Farrin: Sci, hand me the Vermiculium you found... I'm going to run some tests on it since I never really got to with the small amount I had before... takes out the Vermiculium and hands it to Farrin. Din: Now as for this temple, mind explaining what that is? Toon: It's exactly what it sounds like, a temple, but it's unfinished. According to Nutox himself they need to finish the altar... Shay: There was also an excavation site right in front of it and Sci told you, which means they might be using the Vermiculium for something they're doing inside the temple. Hellon: But you never actually got into the temple... Toon: No... Cancer: It's not like they can just move it. I will be there if you want to go back... Paper: And we will go back, in a couple days... I think we all just need some rest after what's went on the past few days and even the past few weeks... Farrin: Agreed... Din: We'll be back in a few days when it comes time for the mission. Until then, the four of us are going to Hortren Prime to try and broker a cease fire... Runa: Good luck on whatever happens in the meantime... three Hortresians and Cancer link arms and then teleport off. Sci: Next move? Paper: Rest, after that, probably back to the temple... If this is really less than 2 weeks away, we need to stop it before it begins... End Category:Tested with pybot